I have highlighted some of the other discussion points with supporting blogs from other communications professionals. We also discussed the important link between internal and external communications. As well as the need to understand your stakeholders and who’s in charge of them.

We touched on ‘What’s in a name?’ e.g. PR, marketing, communications, stakeholder relations etc. but that sounds like a whole other blog post…

I have often had to remind project leads and senior colleagues that they would not question the views of HR/Finance/Legal etc.. and question why they would do this for their comms lead. On reflection I think it boils down to the fact that everyone thinks they can write a nice strapline or have an eye for a good design. This is where the professionalisation of the industry is very helpful. By using evidence and data, best practice and demonstrating results – it’s always possible to win them over.

Start as you mean to go on with a strong narrative

Rachel Miller of AllthingsIC recently blogged insightfully on the benefits of storytelling in her blog: How storytelling delivers results for three companies. She asked “How can you achieve success with storytelling in your organisation? And the answer of course is “By making it personal, emotive and inclusive.” In my experience a clear and consistent narrative is key to the success of any project from a communications perspective. The messaging can be tailored by audience and channel but this means the key mission and values are “king”.